Manufacture of cardboard from leather stuff.



No. 637,074. Patented Nov. I4, I899.

a. BBIGALANT.

MANUFACTURE OF CARDBOARD FROM LEATHER STUFF.

' (A umion filed m1. o,v 1897.)

' (No Model.)

ASK 2& I"

R F E act description UNITED STATES PATENT omen GASTON BRIGALANT, or BARFNTIN, FRANCE.

SPECIFICATION To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thafil, GASTON BRIGALANT, a citizen of the French Republic, residing at Barentin, (Seine Infrieure,) France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements intheManufacture of Cardboard from Leather Stuff on Paper-Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exof the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to machines for making cardboard from leather scrap. Leather scrap is used to a great extent in the manufacture of cardboard or molded objects. To this end the leather is converted into a paste or short stuff and then transformed into a thin sheet on an ordinary paper-machine, or the material may be molded; but the ordinary paper-machine is not'well adapted to the manufacture of thick cardboard or of thick sheets of such leather stuff.

111 practice the material is introduced in a thin layer on an. apron or endless belt between two compressing-rollers. The thin sheet is rolled around the upper roller, adhering to the same, and a cardboard of a certain thickness is formed by an additional rolling up of several layers. To give consistency to the cardboard,

it is necessary to sub ect the rollers to a certain pressure by means of a weight or by means of a screw; butin view of the gluey and thick nature of the leather stuff this pressure, which at the beginning, when the thickness of the sheet is small, should be rather heavy, becomes too heavy at a certain more advanced time, thereby crushing the sheet, and when the pressure at the beginning is too-light the different layers rolled together separate themselves easily from each other when the material is removed from the machine.

The present invention has for its object to provide an arrangement by which the distance between the two rollers can be adjusted at will or the pressure on the sheet can be regulated in proportion as the layer increases inthickness. may be progressively lifted at certain times or the pressure may be gradually decreased.

Referring to the drawings forming a part of the specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation forming part of Letters Patent No. 637,074, dated November Application filed November 6, 1897. $erial No. 6571-692.

'To this end either the upper roller (No modelJ Fig. 2 is a detail of the motion-transferring mechanism. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a slightly-modified machine. Fig. 4 is a detail of the friction-gear.

In Fig. 1 a weight A- at the end of a lever B produces a pressure on the upper roller D by means of a screw-threaded rod (3, mounted in a bearing-box on the boss of a roller D, as shown. Said lever B is connected by a link B with the frame and is supported horizontally upon the hubof worm-wheell-I, as shown.

he thin sheet of leather stuff is fed in upon a belt or metal cloth E, passing between the rollers D and F. It then sticks to the upper roller D and is rolled up continuously until it has acquired the requisite thickness. The lever B bears on the hub of a worm-wheel H, which moves by means of internal screwthread on the threaded portion of the rod 0, thus allowing the roller D to rise or fall the desired distance above roller F when drawn higher or lower upon the rod 0. The Wormwheel His in gear with a worm on the shaft ..T, which receives its motion from a chain K,

connecting sprocket-wheel Kon the shaft J with sprocket-Wheel K on the shaft L, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The shaft L carries also a pulley M, which is adapted to be brought into frictional contact with a corresponding pulley M, secured to the shaft of the upper roller D. This pulley M is in contact with pulley M only when by the accumulation of the difierent layers of stuff the cardboard has acquired a certain-thickness,whereupon the pulley M is forced to rotate. The shaft'J consequently commences to turn also, and the worm on it operates the worm-wheel on the rod 0, so that the roller D is lifted for a determinate distance at each revolution, corresponding exactly to the thickness of an additional sheet of stuff or to a fraction of the thickness, according to the degree of compression which it is desired to give to the cardboard under manufacture. 4 To obtainthese differences of compression before the rising of the roller for each revolution, the diameter of the sprocket-wheels may be varied. The time when this risingshould commence depends on the more or less'approached position of the pulley M to pulley M, and in order to fill this moment of time at will the shaft L, with the of a machine embodying my improvements. pulley M, is arranged so as to admit of an easy displacement. To this end the bearing of the shaft L is adapted to slide in a support or frame 0, secured in an inclined position upon the frame or standard, in which it can be displaced by a screw P, a spring N being interposed to produce suflicient friction between the pulleys M M. A bracket V, secured to the lower part of the standard, has a screwspindle W, upon which is mounted the movable bearing Y, carrying roller Z, over which the material is fed into the machine.

The construction shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is to provide for contingencies where it is desired to diminish the pressure gradually from a given moment. The elements are essentially the same, the only modification being in the mechanism for varying the effective length of the lever. The driving-pulley Q of the press is in frictional contact with an intermediate wheel Q, turning with its shaft in a movable slotted support R. Said support is preferably made adjustable in any suitable manner-as, for instance, by means of the slots and bolts R R as shown, said bolts operating to clamp the support in anyposition it may be set. The wheel Q is in frictional contact with a wheel Q keyed upon the shaft S, which by means of a worm transfers motion upon a worm-wheel on the screw-spindle T.

The latteris in gear with an arm U, threaded for this purpose and properly guided. When this arm advances by reason of the motion of the spindle T, it pushes the counterweight A along and diminishes the pressure in shortening the lever-arm B as will be clearly understood. If it is desired to lessen the pressure according to the nature of the stuff after having stored a certain number of layers, the arm U may be placed at a distance in the rear of the counterweight, so that the latter will be acted upon only when the arm U has reached it after a certain number of revolutions of the spindle T. On the other hand, the diameter of the wheel Q may be varied, and thus the advance of the weight before the compression of the material can be regulated.

By means of the described device thicknesses of leather stuff up to four inches may be made, which after compressing and drying furnish leather-cardboard plates of one to one and a half inches thick, being very resistant and not liable to come apart, although the different sheets have been pas ted togethei. From these plates heels for boots and shoes may be cut out in a single piece, or soles, gear-wheels, and other objects may be manufactured from this material.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. I11 a machine such as described, the combination of a frame, a pair of superposed compression-rollers revolubly mounted in said frame, a threaded vertical rod operatively connected with the upper roller, a threaded worm-wheel mounted thereon, a weighted lever linked to the frame and horizontally supported upon said worm-wheel, adapted to regulate the pressure exerted by said roller, and means substantiallyas described for imparting motion to such pressure-regulating mechanism as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a machine for making leather cardboard, the combination of two compressionrollers mounted in a suitable frame and superposed one above the other, a rod connected to the shaft of the uppercompression-- roller, screw-threaded at its upper end, a screw-threaded worm-wheel adapted to be received thereon, a worm engaging said wormwheel and adapted to be operated bysuitable means, a lever pressing upon the hub of said worm-wheel, linked at one end to the frame, a weight provided on the opposite end of and adapted to be displaced on said lever, a support, a worm-shaft S journaled in said support, a wheel Q mounted thereon, a screwspindle having one end thereof loosely received in said support, an arm U provided on the farther end of said spindle and suitably guided on said lever, said arm adapted to displace said weight, as described, a wormwheel rigidly secured to said spindle and engaging the worm-shaft S, a movable slotted support R, a shaft adjustably carried therein, a wheel Q mounted on said shaft adapted to transfer motion upon said wheel Q by frictional contact, and means for adjusting the position of said slotted support, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I afiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GASTON BRIGALANT. Vitnesses:

A. PONQUET, J. REVERSE. 

